When the 2025 Illinois Report Card that rates school quality came out recently, Evanston-Skokie District 65 learned that two of its schools dropped a level in the ratings this year.

Kingsley Elementary School and Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies dropped from a “commendable” rating (the second from highest) to “targeted” (the third from highest), according to the Report Card, released Oct. 30.

However, Dr. Bessie Rhodes School is scheduled to close permanently at the end of this school year, and the district has recently announced it will probably close two more schools permanently. Indications point to Kingsley and Lincolnwood Elementary as the likely schools to be shuttered.

One can’t make exact comparisons because this year, ISBE changed the way it analyzes students’ sta

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